Saudi Arabia and Egypt stressed on Sunday their determination to intensify joint coordination, especially in confronting extremist and terrorist organizations and organized cross-border crime.
Saudi Interior Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz held talks in Cairo on Sunday with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi upon the directives of the Saudi leadership.
Sisi underscored the importance of cooperation between their countries, pointing to Cairo and Riyadh’s “pivotal role in the stability of the region in wake of the grave and mounting challenges that demand continued cooperation,” said an Egyptian presidency spokesman.
Sisi expressed his appreciation to Saudi Arabia, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, underlining the “depth of the fraternal and historic ties that bind their countries and peoples.”
Prince Abdulaziz conveyed to Sisi the greetings of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed, and wished Egypt continued progress and prosperity.
The minister had arrived in Cairo on Saturday on an official visit.
General Manager of the Egyptian Center for Strategic Studies Khaled Okasha said Prince Abdulaziz’s visit was “very important given the several major regional challenges, at the heart of which are security, terrorism and organized crime, as well as security instability.”
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the current climate forces security agencies to be on alert to confront any new or recurring threats.
Saudi-Egyptian coordination stretches back to decades as Egypt and Saudi Arabia have been at the forefront of countries that confronted terrorism and cross-border organized crime, he went on to say.
Sisi’s meeting with Prince Abdulaziz reflects their countries’ keenness on raising the level of security coordination and taking “advanced” steps in that direction, he added.
Moreover, he noted that the security coordination between them “carries political dimensions” and is “appreciated by regional countries.”
Egyptian security expert Ashraf Amin echoed these remarks, adding that Saudi Arabia and Egypt are keen on exchanging information to combat terrorism and organized crime.
He noted the rise and development of electronic crimes, which demands efforts to develop the security measures to confront them.
